Machine for welding can opening keys on can ends



June 22, 1954 R, RENARD 2,681,968

7 MACHINE FOR WELDING CAN OPENING KEYS ON CAN ENDS Filed April 29, 19524 Shee ts-Sheet l I T I I 1 522 ,36 ,37 522 I l 2 4? 43 o o o fi Q 5) 46"6/ 6 0 4 6/ R V o o o I 4 I J M J83 l I I I I l L9) 52 5 7 52 5 2INVENTOR.

ROLAND E. REWARD ATTORNEK June 22, 1954 R. E. RENARD 2,681,968

I MACHINE FOR WELDING CAN OPENING KEYS ON CAN ENDS Filed April 29, 19524 Sheets-Sheet 2 152 I i Y 3 "x J R y? [26 I I l 0 l 0 l o o I I5 I 1 ms10/ "'735 M8 0 I O l5 6 O l /0/ 0 I 4 INVENTOR. 1257.5 6

, ROLAND E. RE/V RD A T TOr'aNE Y June 22, 1954 R. E. RENARD MACHINE FORWELDING CAN OPENING KEYS ON CAN ENDS Filed April 29, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet3 IN VEN TOR.

A 7' TORNE Y Jfihe 22, 1954 V R. E. RENARD 2,681,968

MACHINE FOR WELDING CAN OPENING KEYS ON CAN ENDS Filed April 29, 1952 4Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR. ROLAND E. REA/4RD AZTOR/VEY Patented June 22,1954 MACHINE FOR WELDING (JAN OPENING KEYS N CAN ENDS RolandIE. Renard,Los Gatos, Calif., assignor to Pacific Can Company, San Francisco,Calif., a corporation of Nevada Application April 29, 1952, Serial No.284,890

7 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in machines forwelding can-opening keys to can covers- It is common practice to weld akey to the cover of a can, prior-toassembly of :the cover on the canbody, so that the key maybe used by the consumer to wind a tear stripfrom the upper end of the can body, thus affording access to the can.Such keys'are of various shapes, but generally'are formedof wirewith oneend of the wirebent into an oblong handle and the opposite end of'thewire flattened, the flattened tail being formed with a slot for thereception'of the end ofthe tear strip of the can. The end of the tail isspot-weldedto the cover adjacent its extremity. The tailisweakened-between the slot and the point of welding sothat' the key mayreadily be removed from the can by lifting the handle and fracturing thetail at the weakened point.

The present invention relates to a machine which feeds covers and keysin timed relation so that the two componentsc'ome together under anelectrode which descends in timed relation to the movement of the coverand key to spot-weld. the elements together. bottom of a stack ontoa'feed table and thence are moved to an idle station and are then movedto the welding station. After key and cover are welded at the weldingstation, the elements are moved to a second idle station and then aremoved to a discharge station; The idle stations are provided so that thestroke of the reciprocat ing' member which feeds the endsfrom station tostation may be reduced to half that which would otherwise be required.Further, the idle stations provide convenient locations for visualinspection of the can ends-before and after the keys are attached.

While the can ends are proceeding to the'welding station, the keys areremoved from the bottom of a stackof keys and moved transverse to thepath of travel of the can ends to the welding station where 'theyare'assembled onto the end in proper position.

Otherobjects of the present invention will become apparent upon readingthe following specification and referring to the'accornpanying drawingsin which similar characters of reference represent corresponding partsin each ofthe several views.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal, vertical midsection of the machine showing thefeed mechanism in forwardposition. 7 r

Fig. 2'is a fragmentary view takensubstantially alongthe line. 22- ofFig. 1 showing the feed The covers are fed from the mechanism inretracted position and havingsome parts omitted for purposes of clarity.

Fig. 3 is a top plan.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 4-4 of-Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a section taken substantially along the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 6-6 of.Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a schematic, explodedperspective view of some of the elementsof the key feed mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the lower guide plate of the key feedsub-assembly.

Fig. 9 is a perspective of a key such as may be used with the invention.

Fig. 10 is a perspective of a can end on which such a key may be weldedby means of the machine hereinafter described.

The present invention comprises a machine for assembling keys on cancovers 21 and welding the two components together. The keys 20 used inconjunction with this machine may be of any conventional shape,preferably formed of round wire. At one end of the elongated shankportion 22' of the key the wire is bent'to form an oblong handle 23. Theopposite or tail end 24'of the shank is flattened, with weldingprotuberances 26 on the underside of the flattened tail which localizethe passage of the spot welding current and penetrate through anydielectric material on the can end when pressure is applied to press thekey against the end. The shank is apertured in an elongated slot 21which receives the free end of a conventional tear strip for akey-opening can, and intermediate the slot 21 and the weldingprotuberances the shank is nicked as indicated by numeral 28 to weakenthe shank so that the key may be fractured at this position when theconsumer lifts the handle of the key to remove the key from the can end.

The can ends 2! employed are of conventional circular shape withdownwardly curled flanges filled with compound for hermetically sealingthe can end to the can body when a double seaming operation is performedin a can closing machine, as is'well understood in the can making art.One or more surfaces of the can endmay be coated with dielectricmaterial, such as enamel for pres+ ervation 0f the can endagainstrusting, but for the purpose'of this applicationit will beassumed that either the can end is bare metal or that the coating isapplied only to the top surface and it is penetrated by the Weldingprotuberances dur ing the application of pressure'in-thewelding step. Inthis connection, reference is made to my comending application SerialNo. 196,571, filed November 20, 1950, now Patent No. 2,518,725, datedNovember 18, 1952, for the construction and mounting of the weldingelectrodes where dielectric coatings are applied to both top and bottomsurfaces of the can ends.

lhe machine which comprises this invention is provided with a suitableframe 3! which sup ports the moving parts. Suitably journalled in theframe is a main drive shaft 32, horizontally longitudinally disposed,said shaft being lreyed to a drive pulley 33 at one end, said pulleybeing arranged to be belt driven from a motor (not shown). Bolted to thetop of frame 3| is a longitudinally extending feed table 3'5 andrecessed below said table is a pair of stationary horizontal can endsupports 31, along which the can ends are arranged to slide from stationto station as they progress through the machine. Spaced equal distancesapart in a straight line along said feed table are, in order, a feedstation A, a first idle station E, a welding station C, a second idlestation D, and a discharge station The feeding of the ends from stationto station will first be described.

Cover feed mechanism On one end of the main drive shaft 32 is a bevelgear 38 which meshes with another bevel gear 39 on the lower end ofvertical shaft M,

said vertical shaft being suitably ,iournalled in housing 42 fixed toframe 3!. On the upper end of vertical shaft Al is mounted crank cheekl3 which revolves in a horizontal plane in synchronism with main driveshaft 32. Crank pin 44 is rotatably held on crank cheek A3, and said pinis received in horizontally; disposed connecting rod 46. The oppositeend of connecting rod 46 is provided with a second pin Al, which is inturn revolvably held in crosshead G8. On each side of the machine, atthe level of the feed table 36, is a feed bar Q9, slidably held in ways5! in table 36 and retained by supports 31 for horizontal longitudinalreciprocating motion. One end of each feed bar 49 is bolted to crosshead48. Fixed spaced apart on each feed bar G9 a distance equal to thedistance between stations of the machine is a plurality of feed fingers52, each set of feed fingers being horizontally opposed. Said fingersslide over supports 3'1. From the foregoing description of the feedmechanism it will appear that the feed bars ls and fingers 52reciprocate horizontally longitudinally of the machine in timed relationto the rotation of the main drive shaft '32. As will hereinafter appear,at each of the stations of the machine the can ends are elevated abovethe level of the feed table by means of vertically reciprocating chucks,the movement of said chucks being in timed relation to the reciprocationof the feed bars 49 so that when the feed bars move backward the canends are elevated above feed table 36 and out of contact with the feedfingers 52. Thus, as the feed bars 49 move forwardly the first pair offeed fingers 52a moves a can end from the feed station along to thefirst idle station B where, as hereinafter is set forth in greaterdetail, a chuck 5B elevates the can end above the level of the feedfingers 5% while the feed bars AS retract. From the first idle station Ea second set of feed fingers 52b moves the can end' to the weldingstation C. A third set of fingers 52c moves the can ends from thewelding station 0 to the second idle Feed station The feed station A islocated at one end of the path of the ends through the machine. At thisstation a vertical stack of ends is positioned above the feed table 35,being held in vertical alignment by a plurality of vertical rods 51which are tangent to the periphery of the ends. A collar 58 having aninternal bore equal to the outside diameter of the ends is placed at thebottom of the stack. Said collar 58 is bolted to and extends through anaperture in member 63 which is pivotally mounted on top of frame 3| bymeans of ears 64 on one side of the frame and latch 55 on the oppositeside. When a jam occurs, latch 65 is opened and member 63 is swung up toafford access to the mechanism below. Below the bottom edge of saidcollar 58 and above the feed table 35 is a gap slightly longer than thethickness of a can end. A stationary cross member 59 extends acrosstable 36 below collar 58 and functions to prevent more than one endbeing fed at a time and insures that the ends are fed horizontally. Apair of opposed blades BI is fixed to feed bars 49, said bladesoperating on the return stroke of said feed bars to out between thelowermost end in collar 58 and drop the lowermost end onto inclinedguides 52. On the forward stroke of feed bars 49, fingers 52a push thecan end along inclined guides 62 until the can end rests upon supports31.

It will be understood that the foregoing description of the feed stationis simplified inasmuch as the details of construction thereof constituteno part of this invention, and there are many different types of feedmechanisms to feed one can end at a time from the bottom of a verticalstack of ends onto a horizontal conveyor.

First idle station Fingers 52a advances the can end from feed station Ato the first idle station B. At the first idle station B there is avertically reciprocating chuck 55 onto which the can end slides. Saidchuck 56 is mounted on the top of vertical shaft H which is received inbearings '12 mounted on frame 3|. The lower end of shaft H is receivedbetween bifurcated arm 13, said arm being mounted on horizontal,longitudinally disposed secondary shaft M. Secondary shaft 1-1 isjcurnalled in frame 3| and oscillates in timed relation to rotation ofmain shaft 32. Oscillation of secondary shaft 14 may be accomplished inseveral ways, one way illustrated herein involving mounting of a cam 16on main drive shaft 32, with .a roller ll riding on the top of said cam.Roller IT is mounted on bifurcated rocker arm 18, said arm beingpivotally mounted to frame ill by stud 19. A linl; Bil connects arm 18with bifurcated arm 8! on shaft 74, there being pin connections at eachend of said link 80. Thus as main shaft 32 revolves, secondary shaft I4oscillates and the shape of cam It is made such that secondary shaft 1 1is at the low point of its stroke while feed bars 49 are movingforwardly and at the high point of itsstroke when said feed bars areretracting.

Thus chuck 56 moves upward after feed fingers 52c deposit a can endthereupon. until the end is lifted above the level of the feed table 36,and when the end is so lifted the feed bars 49 retract. In this mannerthe returning feed fingers 521) do not operate to move the feed fingers'back to the preceding station; In order to prevent dislodgement of thecan end from chuck 56,, said chuck is provided with a pair ofhorizontal, longitudinally extending shoes 82 which From the first idlestation B, the can end is moved forward by the second set of feedfingers 52b to the welding station 0. At the welding station C there isprovided a chuck 96 having a shaft 9| mounted for vertical reciprocationin a guide 92 attached to main frame 3I. The lower part of said guide 92is counterbored to provide a cavity to receive a coil spring 93 whichsurrounds shaft ill, the lower end of said shaft 9I having an extension94 against which said spring 93 bears, the effect being that spring 93biases chuck 93 downward. Extension 94 rides on diametrically opposedrollers 96 which are rotatably mounted in the opposite arms of yoke 91by pins 98, said yoke being fixed at its opposite end on secondary shaftM for rocking motion in timed relation with rotation of main drive shaft32. The period and amplitude of motion of chuck 90 is such that thechuck 90 is below the level of the feed table 36 as feed fingers 52cmove the end forwardly so that the end slides onto said chuck 96', andthereafter chuck 30 is elevated above the level of the feed table 36while feed fingers 520 are indexing backward to retracted position.

At welding station C is a subassembly having a base I! which is mountedon main frame 3|.

Said welding station C includes means for moving the keys 20 atrightangles to the direction of movement of the ends 2-I so that a key'20 isdeposited on each end 2| and also a welding electrode I02 which isarranged to move downward and exert pressure to force the key 20 againstthe end 2| while a welding current passes through the parts to weld theend and key to.- gether. The mechanism for moving the key 20and'electrode I02 is drivenoif a third shaft I03, journalled in base I0!, one end of shaft I03 carrying sprocket IM attached by a chain (notshown) to sprocket I66 on main drive shaft 32.

The end of shaft I 03 opposite sprocket III-4 bears crank pin Ill? whichis received in one end of transversely extending connecting rod I08; Theopposite end of connecting rod I08 bears pin I which is, in turn,received by secondconnecting rod III at a point intermediate the endsthereof. The upper end 'ofsecond connecting rod I II is pivotallyattached by means of pin H211. to frame member IiH; and-the lower end ofsecond connecting rod III bears'roller H2 which fits in vertical slot IIn in slide bar H3. The eifect of thislinkage arrangement is to magnifythe amplitude of the horizontal tran verse stroke of' slide bar H3 asshaft I03 revolves.

Slide bar II 3 slides horizontally transversely of the machine within agroove II 5 inthe-upper surface of lower guide H4, and a groove I20 inthe lower part of base I'OI, there being extensions I2Ila on base IUIretaining bar H3 against lateral displacement. Key mover H6 is bolted tothe underside of slide bar H3 for movement therewith, said key mover H6sliding between the lower face of upper guide plate I I! and lower guideH4, which has a groove H8 in its upper face, the thickness of key moverH6 and the depth of groove H8 being slightly greater than the thicknessof a key 23. The leading edge of key mover H6 is recessed as indicatedby referencenumeral H3 in a shape corresponding generally to that ofhalf of handle 23 of key 20. Thus, when, as hereinafter appears, a key20 is deposited in the groove H8 between upper guide H7 and lower guideH4, the key nests. in ,the recess H9 of key mover H6 and is slidforwardly by said key mover, the stroke being'controlled b linkageheretofore described from crank I01. Upper guide II! is apertured in twopositions. One aperture I2I is in the general outline of a key and theother aperture I22 is round and of a diameter slightly larger than thatof welding electrode I02. The distance between aperture I2I and I22 isequal to the amplitude of reciprocation of key mover H6. Lowerstationary guide II 4 over which key mover I I6 slides in groove I I8,is apertured immediately under welding electrode I02, the shape of thisaperture I23 being a composite of the general outline of key 26 with acircle superimposed, said circle being slightly larger than the diameterof electrode I 62. Fixed above the feed table 36 is a vertical guidewayI26 for keys, said guideway I25 being routed out as indicated by numeralI27 in the general shape of a key so as to hold a stack of keys withtheir shanks horizontal in a vertical stack. Guideway I26 is preferablymade of three separate pieces bolted together by bolts I 24 for ease inmanufacture. Guidewa I26 is fixed to frame member IIlI spaced outwardlyof the center of the path of travel of ends. Key mover H6 slidesimmediately under upper guide aperture I2I which coincides with thebottom of key guideway aperture I 21. Key mover H6 normally closes offaperture I21 to prevent discharge of any keys. When key mover I I6 is inretracted position, however, re- 'cess H9 coincides with the bottom ofguideway aperture I21, and since the thickness of key mover H6 is equalto that of a key 26, a single key 20 drops off the bottom of the stackof keys in guideway I26 and fits loosely in recess H9 between guides HQand I IT. The timing of sliding movement of key mover H6 is such that itisin retracted position when welding electrode I62 is descending withthe result that one key 26 is dropping into recess H9 at the same timethat the preceding key is being welded to the can end 2I by electrodeI62 which is descending through apertures I22. and I23. After welding iscompleted and electrode I 92 is elevated, key mover H6 moves forwardsliding another key r al-with it until the key 2!! drops into the aper--cam I36 which is mounted on shaft I63.

:sectors I43 so that they are more nearly consecutive or more nearlyconcurrent the timing of which shaft movement allowed by the depth ofgroove I26 for :shoe I3I to permit said shoe I3I to be raised againstthe pressure of springs I32 when chuck 90 raises end 2! above the levelof feed table 36.

The descent of electrode I02 is controlled by Said cam actuallycomprises a collar I31 keyed to .shaft I 03 and two cam plates I36 andI39, said plates being angularly shiftable relative to each other andcollar I31 when bolts i ii which pass through arcuate slots I42 in camplates I36 and I39 are loosened. Each cam plate I38 and I39 has a highdwell sector Hi3 and by shifting these cam I36 may be lengthened orshortened, as required.

Cam I36 engages cam roller I46 which is rotatably mounted by means of apair of ball bearings I41 between the arms of yoke member I46, said yokemember being pivotally mounted by means of shaft I49 to frame member IJI in I03 is journalled. Spring iEI is mounted to bear against anextension I 52 of yoke I48 to bias yoke member I68 upwardly with respectto frame member 56!, screw I53 being adjustable to vary the effectiveforce of said spring II. Yoke member I52 is pivotally mounted by meansof diametrically opposed pins I66 to electrode holder I51, said holderhaving a bore receiving electrode I02, with set screws I58 beingprovided to adjust the position of electrode I02 within the holder I51.A guide I59 in the bot- .tom of base IOI is bored for reception of thereduced diameter lower end of electrode H32 and another guide I60 at thetop of base lei confines electrode I02 to a vertical stroke in alignmentwith apertures I22 and I23.

The effect of this arrangement is that cam I36 controls the timing ofthe downward movement of electrode I02 and the duration of theweldingperiod, while spring Ital returns electrode I02 to retractedposition. Thus, the composite effect of crank I01, cam I36, thereciprocation of feed bars 40, and the oscillation of secondary shaft 14which actuates chuck 96 is as follows:

A can end 2I is moved from first idle station E to the welding station Cat a time when chuck 90 is retracted, welding electrode I62 is elevatedand key mover I I6 is retracted, said end 21 being received and clampedbetween shoe I3I and chuck 90. Chuck 96 then elevates end 2| above thelevel of the feed table 36 and thereupon feed bars 49 retract, feedfingers 520 not interfering with end 2I because said end 2I is elevated.As

inward, sliding a single key between guides H4 and H1 in groove H 8, andsaid key drops chuck elevates end 2i, key mover H6 moves throughaperture I22 in guide H1 and aperture I23 in guide II4. Switch I6Imounted on the end of main drive shaft 32 is timed to operate connectionI63 from transformer I62 to terminal I64 on electrode I02 and anotherconnection (not shown) from transformer I62 to chuck 90.

The pressure exerted. by electrode I02 on key 20 is sufficient to causethe protuberances 26 on the bottom of the flattened tail 24 thereof topush through any dielectric material on the top of the end 2I.

It will be understood that the whole welding sub-assembly may be liftedup for removing jammed ends or for inspection. This is accomplished byreason of the fact that frame member IN is pivotally mounted aroundshaft I03 at one end and the free end of frame member I02 is held bylatch I66 tight against frame 3|.

Second idle station From welding station C the can ends are moved byfeed fingers 520 to second idle station D which is similar inconstruction and function to sta tion B. At station D is provided avertically reciprocating chuck I1I on the upper end of shaft I12 held inhousing I13 on frame 3I. Shaft I12 is moved vertically by means ofroller I14 which bears against the bottom thereof, said roller beingmounted in bifurcated arm 8I mounted on secondary shaft 14.

The top of chuck I1I bears longitudinally extending bottom shoe I16 onwhich the can end is slid by fingers 52c. Spaced above bottom shoe ill;is a pair of spaced longitudinally extending top shoes I11 depending bymeans of pins I18 from stationary member I19 attached to the top offrame 3I. Springs IBI bias top shoes I11 downwardly, but a space equalto the thickness of a can end between top shoes I11 and bottom shoe I16permits the can end to be fed therebetween. When chuck I1! is elevated,springs IBI compress allowing the end to be elevated above the level offeed table 36 so that feed fingers 5201 do not strike the can end whensaid fingers 52d move back on the return stroke of feed bars 49.

Discharge station Operation In operation, assuming the machine is at thestart of the feed stroke, feed bars 49 carrying feed fingers 52 arefully retracted to the left as shown in Fig. 2. At said position, asingle can end has already been severed from the stack of ends in thehopper by means of blades 6| and is on inclined guides 62. Chucks 56, 90and Ill, are depressed below the level of slides 31. Key mover H6 isretracted under guideway I26 and a single key has dropped into groove H3and recess IIS. Electrode I62 is elevated.

Upon the forward stroke of the feed bars 49, feed fingers 5201, move onecan end from feed station A by sliding the end away from inclined guides62, along slides 31 to station B, the end fitting between shoes 82 and83. Simultaneously, fingers 52b move an end from station 13 to stationC, the end being caught between shoes I3I and chuck 00. Fingers 52c movean end from station C to station D, where the end is retained betweenshoes I16 and I11. Fingers 52d move an end from station D to station E,the end dropping through the cut-out in extension I03 and falling intochute I82.

accuses;

At: the end of. the for-ward stroke of the feed. bars, chucks 56 95 fand; I17 I are. elevated byreaison of oscillation of secondary shaft iand the returning feed fingers on the return stroke of bars 49 dosnotmove'any'of thecan'ends, except that blades iiI sever the lowermost canend in thest'ack' at station A. When chucks 56,.9dand' I'II elevate,shoes 83; I3I and ITI arelikewi'se elevatedllcompressirig springs 81],ISI an'dIil'I) to permit the can end to be raised.

After a can end has come to rest on top of chuck 90 and has beenelevated thereby into the recess I28 on the underside of plate Il i, keymover I I6 has moved the corresponding key along groove I It to dropthrough aperture I23 and onto the can end. Thereupon electrode I92descends and presses the key against the end, and a welding current ispassed through the key and end from transformer I52 through operation oftimer IGI. The timing of the movement of key mover H and electrode I02has heretofore been described.

After welding has been completed, chucks 56, 90 and HI descend and lowerthe can ends onto slides 31, welding electrode I 02 being elevatedsimultaneously and the machine is ready for the next cycle ofoperations.

It will thus be seen that the can ends are fed one at a time along thefeed table 3% from a vertical stack of ends in the hopper and that asthe end comes to the welding station a key is fed on top thereof from avertical stack of keys laterally offset and an electrode is depressed toweld the key and end together. Since all of the moving parts are drivenfrom a single drive shaft, proper timing of the parts is readilyadjusted.

What is claimed is:

1. A key welding machine for welding canopening keys on can ends,comprising, a frame, a drive shaft journalled in said frame, means forrotating said drive shaft, a pair of feed bars reciprocable togetherhorizontally in a straight line longitudinally of said frame, aplurality of pairs of opposed feed fingers on said feed bars, saidfingers being substantially equally spaced along said feed bars, meansoperable from said drive shaft for reciprocating said feed bars to movecan ends in a straight line, a feed table, a feed stack, means operablefrom said drive shaft for feeding can ends one at a time from said stackto said table at the level of said fingers, a key stack laterally offsetfrom the path of said can ends, a key mover reciprocable transversely tothe direction of movement of said feed bars for moving one key at a timefrom said key stack to a position between said feed bars to locate saidkey on a can end, said key mover being horizontally reciprocable in astraight line and driven from said drive shaft and movable in timedrelation to movement of said feed bars, a vertically reciprocablewelding chuck driven from said drive shaft, 9, first electrode on saidWelding chuck, a second electrode reciprocable in a direction oppositeto reciprocation of said welding chuck, and means for moving saidwelding chuck in timed relation to said drive shaft.

2. A machine as defined in claim 1 which further includes idler meansbetween said feed stack and said Welding chuck, said idler meanscomprising a second chuck for holding said ends and means operable fromsaid drive shaft for raising said chuck above the level of said fingersduring the return stroke of said feed bars.

3. Mechanism for welding keys to can ends, comprising, a chuck forholding a can end, a key having an aperture positioned and shaped topermit keys to fall from said slot onto a canaendiheld on said chuck, akey moverreciprocable in'said slot for moving a key therewithin, keyfeed bar rigidly fixed to said key mover and'linearly reciprocabletherewith, a rotatable shaft, meansdriving said key feedbar from saidshaft, an electrode, said guide being apertured for passage of saidelectrode therethrough, a cam on said rotatable shaft, means driven bysaid cam for reciprocating said electrode to weld a key onto an end heldon said chuck, said last-mentioned means being operable to depress saidelectrode after said key mover has dropped a key on an end, and meansfor reciprocating said chuck arranged to elevate said chuck prior todeposit of a key on a can end held thereby.

4. Key welding mechanism for welding keys having shanks and oblonghandles on can ends, comprising, a base, a chuck dimensioned to receivea can end, first means for reciproctaing said chuck, a shaft journalledin said base rotated in timed relation to reciprocation of said chuck, akey stack mounted on said base laterally offset with respect to saidchuck, a key guide having a slot extending from below said key stack toabove said chuck and apertured to permit a key to drop from said stackinto said slot and also apertured to permit a key to drop from said slotonto a can end held by said chuck, a key mover reciprocable in said slotto deliver a key from below said key stack to above said chuck, said keymover having its leading edge routed out in the shape of half a keyhandle, the remainder of said leading edge being straight to conform toa key shank, a key feed bar transversely linearly reciprocable on saidbase and rigidly fixed to said key mover, a crank on said shaft, secondmeans for reciprocating said key feed bar from said crank, a weldingelectrode vertically reciprocable through an aperture in said key guide,a cam on said shaft, and third means controlled by said cam fordepressing said electrode, said key mover and said electrode beingdriven in timed relation from said shaft to deposit a key on a can endin advance of descent of said electrode.

5. Mechanism according to claim 4 which further comprises fourth meansfor reciprocating said chuck in timed relation to movement of said keymover and said electrode, said chuck being arranged to be elevated priorto deposit of a key on a can end held by said chuck.

6. Mechanism according to claim 5 which further comprises a hopper forcan ends, means for feeding can ends from said hopper one at a time,longitudinally reciprocable can end feed bars for moving can ends in astraight line from said hopper to said chuck, and means forreciprocating said feed bars in timed relation to said chuck to deposita can end on said chuck prior to elevation of said chuck.

'7. A key welding machine for welding keys on can ends comprising, ahopper station, a welding station, and a discharge station, first meansfor moving can ends one at a time from station to station in a straightline longitudinally of the machine, a key stack, second means for movingone key at a time from said key stack to said welding station in astraight line transversely to the direction of movement of said can endsin timed relation to movement of said first means,

a movable welding electrode, third means for move said electrode towelding position after a moving said welding electrode to force a keykey has been deposited onacan end.

against a can end and weld the two components,

and means operatively connecting said first, sec- References Cited inthe file f 191115 p t 0nd, and third means to move can ends While 5UNITED STATES PATENTS said electrode is retracted from welding position,

Number Name Date to move keys to said welding station while a can1,635,536 Butler July 12, 1927 end is being moved to said weldingstation and 1,863,850 Holloway June 21 1932 deposit said key on said canend as said can end moves into position under said electrode, and to 102063927 Holloway 1936

